Page 11 of Shaman

It was Alec’s turn to snort. “Are you gonna puke in the bed?”

“It’s a distinct possibility.”

~*~

He didn’t puke in the bed, but he slept poorly, heart beating too fast, cold and then hot, tossing around until the sheets were tangled at his hips. He woke for good, finally, just after dawn, a thin stripe of light falling in through the drapes and across the pale carpet, its glow just enough light to make out Alec sleeping on the far edge of the king-sized mattress. He was tucked into a tight ball, brows pinched – worried even in sleep.

Ian did a quick self-assessment. His head throbbed, his stomach churned, and the inside of his mouth tasted like something dead. He hadn’t woken up feeling this bad in a long time, and he could only hope that Alec would stay asleep a little longer so they didn’t have to–

Alec’s eyes snapped open.

“Bollocks,” Ian said with great feeling.

Proving that he’d been awake for some time, and only pretending to sleep, Alec sat up, clear-eyed and composed. “How’s your head?”

“Terrible.”

“Be right back.” He slipped out of bed and Ian heard the rustling of a suitcase, the faucet running in the bathroom. He was back a moment later with a glass of water and two aspirin held out on a flat palm. “Take those, and then we’re going to talk.”

Ian groaned, but sat up and choked down the pills.

Alec knelt on the bed, poised for interrogation, hands braced on his thighs. His earnest expression should have been absurd, coupled with his plaid sleep pants and the velvet-soft old t-shirt he wore to bed, the one Ian had stretched out the neck of a few months ago so he could kiss his collarbones. Should have been absurd, but wasn’t, the grim set of his mouth enough to make Ian want to crawl down under the covers and never come back out.

“Alright,” Alec said with a deep breath. “Just listen first, okay?”

Ian moved to sit with his back against the upholstered headboard and nodded – which was a bad idea, because it kicked off a wave of dizziness and tweaked his headache into something fierce and sharp.

A sympathetic look flickered across Alec’s face, but he smoothed it away and pressed on. “Something’s been wrong for a while. For months.” His mouth quirked to the side, but it wasn’t a smile. “I thought you were cheating. I always thought I was the sort of person who’d get the hell out of a relationship where my partner was unfaithful – then again, I always thought I was straight, too, before I met you. I’ve learned a lot about myself since I met you, including that fact that I’m not the kind who walks away, however pathetic that is.”

“Alec, you’re not pathetic.”

He held up a hand. “Let me? Please?” When Ian nodded, he said, “Last night.” His voice wavered. “After you fell asleep. I…well, I got a little desperate.” He glanced down at his hands, fingers flexing on his thighs. “I had to know. I just wanted…well. I went through your phone.”

“You little shit.”

“I know, I know.” He had the good grace to blush. “But you wouldn’t talk to me–”

“So that gives you the right to look at my phone? Which I use forbusiness?” Ian hissed.

“I don’t give a damn about your business,” Alec snapped, head lifting.

“Except for the fact that it pays for all this, right?” Ian made a sweeping gesture to indicate the room, the city, this whole trip. “Buys your nice clothes, keeps you in wine, and electronics, and keeps your days full of delightful distractions. You’d bloody well care about my business if it was taken away, wouldn’t you?”

“What are you talking about? I’m not trying to sabotage anything–”

“But it’s okay to dig through my messages?”

“I thought you were back with him!” Alec shouted, and Ian felt his brows go up.

“Him?”

Alec was breathing fast through his mouth, chest heaving. “Your old…whatever he was. You ex. YourKevin,” he spat the name. “I thought you were–”

“He’s married–”

“I know!” Then, quieter, miserable: “I know, okay? But I thought – the point is, hate me for it all you want, but I looked through your phone. The last call you made was to Ghost Teague.”

Oh shit.

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